In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – May.6.2024

Here is this week’s selection of videos and news items about space habitats, living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** Space Station Crew Talks with Syracuse.com – The Post-Standard – Friday, May 3, 2024 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Jeanette Epps and Matt Dominick of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview May 3 with the Post-Standard/Syracuse.com. Epps and Dominick are in the midst of a long-duration mission aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

** SpaceX Crew-8 Dragon relocation – SciNews

SpaceX’s Crew-8 “Endeavour” Crew Dragon spacecraft, with NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, was relocated from the forward-facing port to the space-facing port of the International Space Station’s Harmony module, on 2 May 2024. The relocation was performed in order to make way for the arrival of for the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft on Boeing’s Crew Flight Test, currently scheduled for 6 May 2024. The “Endeavour” Crew Dragon previously supported the Demo-2, Crew-2, Ax-1 and Crew-6 missions.
Credits: NASA/SpaceX

=== Commercial space habitats

** Axiom Space tests their lunar spacesuit in the Neutral Buoyance Laboratory at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston:

** Testing underway for Axiom’s “Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU)” space suit for lunar surface activities:

** Sierra Space shows the development path for their inflatable space stations

See the blog post at Building the World’s First Commercial Space Station | Sierra Space – Apr.30.2024

Our LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) technology launches on a conventional rocket. Its inflatable structure remains tightly packed upon deployment. One of the first in our product line, LIFE 285, will inflate into a structure that is three stories tall and 27 feet in diameter once it reaches space—essentially the size of a three-story apartment, with each floor being nine feet tall.

The inflatable structural shell is made up of a tightly woven fabric (Vectran) that’s up to five times stronger than steel once inflated and offers a balance of properties unmatched by other high-performance fibers. This strong structural shell, as well as its spacious interior, makes it perfect for both LEO and long-duration missions to the moon, Mars and the stars.

Why an inflatable softgoods shell? The problem with large, metallic space stations is that they’re hard (and expensive) to launch into space. That’s where the magic of an inflatable spacecraft comes into play. Launched in a packed state, it can easily reach space and expand to huge volumes.

Once fully inflated, the interior of LIFE 285 will be able to accommodate anywhere from four to twelve people, depending on the purpose and length of the mission.

It can also be fully packed with essential supplies and work space tools, including an Astro Garden® for a constant supply of fresh produce, ample sleeping quarters, a medic chamber, and exercise equipment. It will help serve as a place where innovations and groundbreaking research come together for longer duration space missions.

—- Sierra continues pressure tests of the inflatable module structures:

** VAST

=== Chinese space habitats

** Shenzhou-17 undocking – SciNews

The Shenzhou-17 (神舟十七) crew spacecraft undocked from the Tianhe Core Module (天和核心舱), departing the China Space Station (中国空间站), on 30 April 2024, at 00:43 UTC (08:43 China Standard Time). The Shenzhou-17 spacecraft is expected to make a parachute-assisted landing at the Dongfeng landing site, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, returning the sixth crew of three astronauts on a mission to the China Space Station (中国空间站): Hongbo Tang (汤洪波, commander), Shengjie Tang (唐胜杰) and Xinlin Jiang (江新林).

** Research Aboard China Space Station to Probe Origins of Life – CCTV Video News Agency

The China Space Station will undertake a number of new experiments during the Shenzhou-18 mission that may help answer key questions about the origins of life and work toward breakthroughs in medicine and spaceflight engineering.

=== Lunar habitation

** DARPA-backed study examines architectures for lunar bases.

The Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) is a NASA supported organization based at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL). LSIC recently hosted a meeting for DARPA’s  10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10), a seven month program that

aims to rapidly develop foundational technology concepts that move away from individual scientific efforts within isolated, self-sufficient systems, toward a series of shareable, scalable systems that interoperate — minimizing lunar footprint and creating monetizable services for future lunar users. 

Participant teams in LunA-10 presented their findings at the LSIC meeting. Here, for example, are some slides from SpaceX, which presented plans for development of a lunar base using Starships:

Presentations from all the teams are available in this document (pdf).

For even more about lunar base technologies, see the presentation, NASA Lunar Surface Operations & Power Grid (pdf), given by Jeffrey Csank of NASA Glenn Research Center at a 2023 meeting.

** China is Building a Lunar Satellite Constellation – Dongfang Hour – YouTube

As China ramps up its lunar exploration program in the coming decade, space-based lunar infrastructure is going to be a key enabler. Spacecraft and ground-based vehicles will increasingly need positioning and communication services, which is why China has launched a plan to establish a lunar satellite constellation called the “Queqiao constellation”. The focus on the back side and the lunar south pole also means that communications will require relay satellites.
In preparation for this lunar constellation, expected in the 2030s, China has been launching single Queqiao spacecraft: the “Queqiao” in 2018, “Queqiao-2” in March 2024, and “Queqiao-3” by the end of the decade.
In this video, we cover this quest for lunar infrastructure, a low key but essential milestone for the establishment of China’s future lunar outpost, the ILRS.

If you like what you see and would like to support me, please consider joining our small Patreon community at / dongfanghour !
We also have some very cool space merch available at https://shop.dongfanghour.com .

00:00 Introduction
00:17 Lunar exploration & tidal locking
01:11 Queqiao-1 and Queqiao-2 relay missions
03:11 Launching the Queqiao lunar constellation
05:47 Equivalent projects by NASA and ESA

See also China’s Next Moon Lander – Ready for Sample-collecting Sendoff | Leonard David – Apr.28.2024.

** China unveils international moon base concept animation – VideoFromSpace

China has unveiled a concept video for a international research base on the moon.

=== Mars habitation

=== Future space habitat designs

** How Robots Will Help Humans Conquer The Moon – Fraser Cain

When humans will return to the Moon they will need a lot of assistance to set up a settlement and carry out all the missions. They will need a lot of robots to do that. How exactly will it pan out? Figuring out with Professor Yang Gao from King’s College London.

** When you hear “Bernal Sphere”…  – SSI: Space Studies Institute Youtube – SSI Website

Just a little video for fun.
Oh, and this design isn’t public domain. Just sayin’. Credit where credit is due please, and Thank you.

Want to know the story of “The Model”? Look here: https://ssi.org/an-oneill-colony-in-s…
And scroll down to the bottom to see what is and what is not a “Bernal Sphere” …and why.

** Jerry Stone illustrates Island 0, a Gerard O’Neill Island 1 demonstrator – Space Renaissance

Jerry Stone illustrates Island 0, a Gerard O’Neill Island 1 demonstrator, in the frame of the Expanding Humanity To Outer Space International Cooperation Youth Event (EHTOS)
Moderator: Ghanim Alotaibi
Lecturer: Jerry Stone
Participants: Werner Grandl, Guy çignolet, Mahhad, B. Daniel, Adriano V. Autino

=== Polaris Program – SpaceX EVA suit unveiled. Will be used on first Polaris mission

On May 4th, the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Suit designed by SpaceX was unveiled to the public. The initial application of the suit will be during the Polaris Dawn mission, which aims to reach the highest altitude yet for a Dragon spacecraft. They will attempt also to carry out the first EVA by private astronauts.

At approximately 700 kilometers above the Earth, the crew will attempt the first-ever commercial extravehicular activity (EVA) with SpaceX-designed extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits, upgraded from the current intravehicular (IVA) suit. Building a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will require thousands of spacesuits; the development of this suit and the execution of the EVA will be important steps toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions.

The Dragon has no airlock so when the hatch is opened, all four crew members must be in suits.

=== The Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Suit – SpaceX Youtube

At ~700 km above Earth, the EVA suit will support the Polaris Dawn crew in the vacuum of space during the first-ever commercial astronaut spacewalk.

Evolved from the Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suit, the EVA suit provides greater mobility, a state-of-the-art helmet Heads-Up Display (HUD) and camera, new thermal management textiles, and materials borrowed from Falcon’s interstage and Dragon’s trunk.

Building a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will require millions of spacesuits. The development of this suit and the execution of the spacewalk will be important steps toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions as life becomes multiplanetary.

=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:

=== Earth views from ISS

** Highlight: Mexico City and Volcanic activity – May 5, 2024 07:40 CST – ISS Above

NASA EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station — Watch live at / issaboveyou

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

=== Amazon Ads ===

Lego Ideas International Space Station
21321 Toy Blocks, Present, Space, Boys, Girls, Ages 16 and Up

====

Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

Astronomy, Space participation, Space Science

Night sky highlights for May 2024

Check out the night sky this month, May 2024. Here are videos highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: May 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in May 2024?

Mars and Saturn tussle with the Moon, Mercury makes a brief a.m. appearance, East Coasters can see red giant star Antares emerge from behind the Moon, and the eta Aquariid meteors peak on May 6th.

0:00 Intro
0:15 Moon & planet highlights
1:06 Moon occults Antares
1:53 eta Aquariid meteor shower
3:54 May Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** Tonight’s Sky: May 2024 – Space Telescope Science Institute – Tonight’s Sky

In May, we are looking away from the crowded, dusty plane of our own galaxy toward a region where the sky is brimming with distant galaxies. Locate Virgo to find a concentration of roughly 2,000 galaxies and search for Coma Berenices to identify many more. Keep watching for space-based views of galaxies like the Sombrero Galaxy, M87, and M64.

About this Series … “Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at https://hubblesite.org/resource-gallery/tonights-sky.

** What to see in the night sky: May 2024 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

What can you see in the night sky tonight? Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal the best things to see in the night sky this month, including the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, Asteroid Pallas at opposition, noctilucent clouds and a tantalising lunar occultation of star cluster M4.

00:00 Intro
00:21 Solar System planets
04:39 Eta Aquariid meteor shower
05:29 The Moon
10:52 Minor planet (2) Pallas opposition
11:16 Noctilucent Clouds
12:39 Lunar occultation of M4
14:03 Arcturus and Boötes
17:45 Corona Borealis
19:47 Keystone asterism in Hercules
21:05 Globular cluster M13
25:19 Spica
26:00 Virgo
27:17 Antares

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – May 2024 | Full Moon and the Swiss Army knife of the Sky – Sky & Telescope Youtube

Our monthly Sky Tour #astronomy #podcast provides an informative and entertaining 10-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Join us for the May 2024 episode where we highlight this month’s #lunar phases, track down three #planets before dawn, keep alert for bits of #Halley’s #Comet, and get to know the Swiss Army knife of the #night #sky.

Listen and subscribe to this podcast at https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/ and don’t forget to subscribe to S&T’s YouTube channel to get alerts about new videos, including this monthly podcast

Learn more about #observing and #stargazing on our website, https://skyandtelescope.org/ and subscribe to our monthly magazine at https://skyandtelescope.org/subscribe.

See also

** Night Sky Notebook May 2024– Peter Detterline

** See also:

=== Amazon Ads ===

Celestron
70mm Travel Scope
Portable Refractor Telescope
Fully-Coated Glass Optics
Ideal Telescope for Beginners
BONUS Astronomy Software Package

==

Stellaris: People of the Stars

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – Apr.27.2024

Here is this week’s selection of videos, news items, and articles about space habitats, living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** Space to Ground: Outside the Hatch: April 26, 2024 – NASA Johnson

** NASA Astronaut Discusses Life in Space with CBS News – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Matt Dominick of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview April 23 with CBS News Streaming Service. Dominick is in the midst of a long-duration mission aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

** Space Station Crew Prepares Science for Dragon Departure – NASA Johnson

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick closes out the Dragon spacecraft in preparation for its scheduled departure in late April. Dragon will return to Earth with samples and hardware from several experiments for further study.

Watch the return coverage via NASA+: https://go.nasa.gov/3QFeKon

** Roscosmos spacewalk to be conducted outside Space Station – NASA Johnson

This animation discusses the upcoming spacewalk in which Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub of the Expedition 71 crew will egress the Poisk airlock to complete the deployment of one panel on a synthetic radar system on the Nauka module and install equipment and experiments on the Poisk module to analyze the level of corrosion on station surfaces and modules. It will be the 270th spacewalk in support of station maintenance and upgrades, the seventh for Kononenko and the second for Chub.

=== Commercial space habitats

** Axiom negotiating with NASA for changes in installation sequence of ISS modules:

** Team Axiom Crew Earth Observations – Axiom Space Youtube – Axiom Space

Happy Earth Day! During a mission, crews conduct multiple experiments aimed at advancing research and innovation #ForEarth, as well as getting some of the best views of our planet. Thanks to Ax-3 Commander Michael López-Alegría, some members of #TeamAxiom received some memorable photos.
— — —

Axiom Space is building for beyond, guided by the vision of a thriving home in space that benefits every human, everywhere. The leading provider of human spaceflight services and developer of human-rated space infrastructure, Axiom Space operates end-to-end missions to the International Space Station today while developing its successor, Axiom Station – the world’s first commercial space station in low-Earth orbit, which will sustain human growth off the planet and bring untold benefits back home. For more information about Axiom Space, visit www.axiomspace.com.

** Gravitics wins Space Force grant to develop orbital platforms based on company’s space habitat modules: Gravitics Awarded U.S. Space Force Contract for Tactically Responsive Space Development | Gravitics – Apr.25.2024

Gravitics, Inc. announced today it has been awarded a $1.7M Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Direct-to-Phase II contract from SpaceWERX. In partnership with Space Systems Command’s Space Safari Program Office, this effort will focus on a new mission area for Gravitics, Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS). Under this contract, Gravitics will leverage its commercial space station product architecture to develop orbital platforms that will enable rapid and flexible response options for the United States Space Force. Gravitics’ commercial space station modules can support a wide range of military and civilian applications, including in-space rapid response applications.

“We are looking at all options to meet the mission on tactically relevant timelines. The Gravitics space station module offers an unconventional and potentially game-changing solution for TacRS,” said Lt Col Jason Altenhofen, Space Safari’s Director of Operations. “As we look into the future, the innovative use of commercial technologies will be an important aspect to solving some of our toughest challenges.”

“Developing and manufacturing commercial space station modules will continue to be at the core of our company mission,” said Colin Doughan, CEO of Gravitics. “Gravitics is thrilled to have the opportunity to offer these commercial capabilities to the Department of Defense.

I’ll note that Gravitics is not a contractor in NASA’s commercial space station partnership program. So I’m sure they are eagerly looking for support from other funding sources such as the Space Force.

** Roadmap Artificial Gravity Station – VAST Youtube

VAST releases this animation demonstrating how a multi-module station would provide artificial gravity via spin. The outermost end of a module will become the floor for that volume. Moving outward from the center, a person would experience increasing gravity. This would allow one floor to provide lunar level gravity and another floor farther out to provide Mars gravity.

=== Chinese space habitats

— Replay! China’s Shenzhou 18 crew launches to Tiangong space station – VideoFromSpace

A Chinese Long March 2F rocket launched the Shenzhou 18 crew to the Tiangong space station from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on April 25, 2024. Full Story: https://www.space.com/china-launches-…

— China’s Shenzhou-18 Manned Spaceship Docks with Space Station Combination – CCTV Video News Agency

China’s Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship successfully docked with the space station combination on Friday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

— Shenzhou-18, Shenzhou-17 Astronauts Meet Inside Space Station – CCTV Video News Agency

The astronauts of the Shenzhou-18 manned spaceship met with their Shenzhou-17 colleagues after arriving at the Tiangong space station in the early hours of Friday (Beijing Time).

— Zebrafish Enter Orbit on China Space Station, In Stable Condition – CCTV Video News Agency

Four zebrafish brought into orbit by the Shenzhou-18 spaceflight mission are in stable condition after being transferred to a lab module aboard the China Space Station on Friday morning, according to an institute responsible for the experiment.

** Lunar habitation:

— Chinese Scientists Unveil Lunar Research Station Prototype – CCTV Video News Agency

Chinese scientists have recently unveiled their groundbreaking prototype for a lunar research station.

Known as the “Moon Pot,” this innovative structure was designed by a team of researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Resembling an arched structure reminiscent of an eggshell, the Moon Pot aims to provide a living and research space for astronauts on the moon.

** Work to Land Taikonauts on Moon Before 2030 Goes Smoothly – CCTV Video News Agency

Work to land China’s taikonauts on the moon before 2030 is going on smoothly, with component systems under research and development as planned, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said at a press conference in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Wednesday.

=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:

=== Earth views from ISS

** Highlight: Australia NSW – Canberra – Apr 26, 2024 – 14:09 AEST – ISS Above

NASA EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station

** Highlight: NorCal – SoCal #BayArea #SaltonSea – Apr 27, 2024 09:54 PDT – ISS Above

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

=== Amazon Ads ===

Lego Ideas International Space Station
21321 Toy Blocks, Present, Space, Boys, Girls, Ages 16 and Up

====

Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – Apr.21.2024

Here is this week’s selection of videos and news items about space habitats, living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** Space Station Crew Talks with AccuWeather – Thursday, April 18, 2024 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 70 Flight Engineers Mike Barratt and Tracy Dyson of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview April 18 with Accuweather. Barratt and Dyson are in the midst of a long-duration mission aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

** Astronaut Matt Dominick Talks with University of San Diego – Friday, April 19, 2024 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Matthew Dominick of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview April 19 with San Diego University. Dominick is in the midst of a long-duration mission aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

 ** Other ISS news, articles, and resources:

** ESA astronaut class of 2022 graduation ceremony (Trailer) – European Space Agency, ESA

As they reach the end of one year of rigorous basic astronaut training, ESA astronaut candidates Sophie Adenot, Rosemary Coogan, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, Raphaël Liégeois, Marco Sieber and Australian Space Agency astronaut candidate Katherine Bennell-Pegg will receive astronaut certification at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre on 22 April 2024.

The group was selected in November 2022 and began their training in April 2023.

Basic astronaut training provides the candidates with an overall familiarisation and training in various areas, such as spacecraft systems, spacewalking, flight engineering, robotics and life support systems, as well as survival and medical training.

Following certification, the new astronauts will move on to the next phases of pre-assignment and mission-specific training, paving the way for future missions to the International Space Station and beyond.

Join us for the graduation ceremony live on ESA Web TV on Monday 22 April from 10:00 – 11:30 CEST.

=== Commercial space habitats

** 2024 February – North Houston Space Society – Megan Yang – Building Axiom Station – Axiom Space Youtube – Axiom Space

Megan Yang, an engineer at Axiom, gate a talk in February about the design and construction of the Axiom commercial space station.

** Solenoid valves assembly – VAST Youtube –  VAST

Our solenoid valves are designed, manufactured, assembled, and tested in our Long Beach facility. These valves control gaseous oxygen and nitrox flow into Haven-1’s habitable space.

** Starlab – Voyager Space

This article about using space activities to market goods and services discusses a collaboration between Starlab  and Hilton: Brands in Space: What’s behind the rush to advertise in the final frontier?  | Marketplace – Apr.10.2024

NASA is assisting private companies in building commercial space stations like Voyager Space’s Starlab — a low-Earth orbital designed for astronauts to conduct scientific research in place of the ISS after its shutdown — which will be launched in 2028 at the earliest. Hilton partnered with Voyager Space to design the interior of the space station in hopes to make a more comfortable zero gravity environment.

“We’re looking at this through the lens of space tourism,” Hilton Senior Vice President of Global Design Larry Traxler said. “How do we elevate the stay?”

This isn’t the first time Hilton and Voyager Space partnered for a space stunt. In late 2019, the global hospitality company Nanoracks — most of which was acquired by Voyager Space the following year — and Zero G Kitchen, a food development company creating products for space, teamed up to bake a batch of the famous Doubletree cookies in the ISS. 

=== Other space habitat and settlement news, articles, events, etc:

** EarthSpace 2024 – EarthLight Foundation – A streamed event for Earth Day:  April 22, 2024 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM Eastern

Join some of the planet’s top experts as we discuss topics vital to both saving the Earth and expanding life into the cosmos. EarthSpace 2024 is a unique event, built on the idea that opening the High Frontier must be done differently than any frontier in the past.

Contrary to some who cast the space revolution as a wasteful escapist extravaganza, EarthSpace helps begin a new conversation. A conversation about how we not only can open the High Frontier responsibly and sustainably, but that we must, to help save the MotherWorld of Earth.

Starting with a new philosophy – that this time, for the first time, as humans move into a new frontier, we do so based on an ethos that comes from our love of life and respect for our environment, rather than leaving a path of destruction and waste in our wake.

** NSS Gerard K. O’Neill Space Settlement Contest 

The National Space Society’s

annual space settlement contest invites students to design an orbital space habitat. The contest, open for 6-12th grade students, was sponsored by the NASA Ames Research Center from 1994-2018 in conjunction with the National Space Society and since then is being sponsored by NSS. The single highest scoring team or individual attending ISDC will receive the Herman Rubin Award for $5,000.

The contest this year received 5,200 entries from over 29,000 students, whoc came from 28 countries. The 2024 contest winners and finalists are listed here.

Here is a video from 2022 about the contest:

=== Earth views from ISS

** Highlight: USA KY NC ARISS – Apr 18 2024 13:53 EDT – ISS Above

During this pass, NASA Astonaut Jeanette Epps was speaking with Mountain View Elementary Murietta GA students via a direct ARISS ham radio downlink event.

NASA EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station

**  Highlight: NM -ABQ – Apr 4, 2024 – 11:46 MDT – ISS Above

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

=== Amazon Ads ===

Lego Ideas International Space Station
21321 Toy Blocks, Present, Space, Boys, Girls, Ages 16 and Up

====

Outpost in Orbit:
A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

Astronomy, Education, Space Science

ESO: Most massive stellar black hole in the Milky Way discovered

A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO):

Most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy found

Astronomers have found the most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy, thanks to the wobbling motion it induces on a companion star. This artist’s impression shows the orbits of both the star and the black hole, dubbed Gaia BH3, around their common centre of mass. This wobbling was measured over several years with the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. Additional data from other telescopes, including ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, confirmed that the mass of this black hole is 33 times that of our Sun. The chemical composition of the companion star suggests that the black hole was formed after the collapse of a massive star with very few heavy elements, or metals, as predicted by theory. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada

Astronomers have identified the most massive stellar black hole yet discovered in the Milky Way galaxy. This black hole was spotted in data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission because it imposes an odd ‘wobbling’ motion on the companion star orbiting it. Data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) and other ground-based observatories were used to verify the mass of the black hole, putting it at an impressive 33 times that of the Sun.

Stellar black holes are formed from the collapse of massive stars and the ones previously identified in the Milky Way are on average about 10 times as massive as the Sun. Even the next most massive stellar black hole known in our galaxy, Cygnus X-1, only reaches 21 solar masses, making this new 33-solar-mass observation exceptional [1].

Remarkably, this black hole is also extremely close to us — at a mere 2000 light-years away in the constellation Aquila, it is the second-closest known black hole to Earth. Dubbed Gaia BH3 or BH3 for short, it was found while the team were reviewing Gaia observations in preparation for an upcoming data release.

“No one was expecting to find a high-mass black hole lurking nearby, undetected so far,”

says Gaia collaboration member Pasquale Panuzzo, an astronomer from the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) at the Observatoire de Paris – PSL, France.

“This is the kind of discovery you make once in your research life.”

To confirm their discovery, the Gaia collaboration used data from ground-based observatories, including from the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) instrument on ESO’s VLT, located in Chile’s Atacama Desert [2]. These observations revealed key properties of the companion star, which, together with Gaia data, allowed astronomers to precisely measure the mass of BH3.

Astronomers have found similarly massive black holes outside our galaxy (using a different detection method), and have theorised that they may form from the collapse of stars with very few elements heavier than hydrogen and helium in their chemical composition. These so-called metal-poor stars are thought to lose less mass over their lifetimes and hence have more material left over to produce high-mass black holes after their death. But evidence directly linking metal-poor stars to high-mass black holes has been lacking until now.

Stars in pairs tend to have similar compositions, meaning that BH3’s companion holds important clues about the star that collapsed to form this exceptional black hole. UVES data showed that the companion was a very metal-poor star, indicating that the star that collapsed to form BH3 was also metal-poor — just as predicted.

The research study, led by Panuzzo, is published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

“We took the exceptional step of publishing this paper based on preliminary data ahead of the forthcoming Gaia release because of the unique nature of the discovery,”

says co-author Elisabetta Caffau, also a Gaia collaboration member and CNRS scientist from the Observatoire de Paris – PSL. Making the data available early will let other astronomers start studying this black hole right now, without waiting for the full data release, planned for late 2025 at the earliest.

Further observations of this system could reveal more about its history and about the black hole itself. The GRAVITY instrument on ESO’s VLT Interferometer, for example, could help astronomers find out whether this black hole is pulling in matter from its surroundings and better understand this exciting object.

Notes

[1] This is not the most massive black hole in our galaxy — that title belongs to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way’s centre, which has about four million times the mass of the Sun. But Gaia BH3 is the most massive black hole known in the Milky Way that formed from the collapse of a star.

[2] Aside from UVES on ESO’s VLT, the study relied on data from: the HERMES spectrograph at the Mercator Telescope operated at La Palma (Spain) by Leuven University, Belgium, in collaboration with the Observatory of the University of Geneva, Switzerland; and the SOPHIE high-precision spectrograph at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence – OSU Institut Pythéas.

Links

=== Amazon Ads ===

Celestron – NexStar 130SLT Computerized Telescope –
Compact and Portable –
Newtonian Reflector Optical Design –
SkyAlign Technology –
Computerized Hand Control –
130mm Aperture

====

An Infinity of Worlds:
Cosmic Inflation and the Beginning of the Universe

Everyone can participate in space